In reply to MM0FMF:
Sounds like G/NP-028 on a good day 
Roger G4OWG
In reply to MM0FMF:
But today (Sunday) was fine on Cairnharrow, just a few km south of your soggy haunt yesterday!
For the first time I had two poles, each with a beam (old faithful 5-ele for 2m, the 12-ele DK7ZB for 70cm). With an antenna plugged into each end of the FT-817 it was a doddle to switch bands.
Many thanks to all chasers, and to Brian M0OYG and Jennifer M6MIJ for S2S contacts with G/LD-56. The UHF and up contesters (also Dave G8AXW - thanks) provided a few more contacts to test out the 70cm beam properly for the first time - best DX was 564km to Kent (they were a contest station though) using the bare 4W from the FT-817. Oops - I’ve just let slip that I gave away a lot of points to a rival outfit - my chums from LRS were working hard on a nearby hill in the contest.
I had some nice long chats with some people too - great.
A few photos put on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/gm8oti/4571545159/
(also linked from the SOTA Flickr page).
So not as active a weekend as I expected even on VHF/UHF - though the weather today was apparently a bit nasty “down south”. Good fun anyway, and I’m very satisfied with the 70cm beam performance.
73
John GM8OTI
In reply to MM0FMF:
It was impossible to keep any equipment dry once out of its protective bags/boxes.
Andy,
Now you see why I operate my equipment IN the backpack… only the operator gets wet and operators dry out more easily than electronic equipment.
Despite mixed fortunes, it was an excellent turn-out… SOTAwatch was almost as prolific in spotting terms as the DX Cluster. Had little time to bag many contacts here and the local noise on HF was over S9 at times which didn’t help. I look forward to Tom’s statistics and maybe a comparison to 2009 at some stage.
73 and well done all of you,
Gerald G4OIG
It was a nice event, except the WX and the conditions on HF. I made 64 QSO in relaxed 2 hours with 25 DXCC-Entities and 3 WAC’s.
Because it was cold and rainy I decided not to set up the VHF/UHF antenna to look into the IARU Region I contest.
Made some nice S2S QSO; with e.g. SV1COX/p or Z30A/p (hey, you should proof your RX. It seems you are DEAF! Friends confirmed that).
AND I wondered: Only 2 Stations from DL are in my log. Both on unusual 20m (for DL-DL qsos) … a local station and a station from East-Germany. Short Skip? These are certainly the effects of deletions of as many references and thus the resulting lack of interest in SOTA in Germany.
Thanks for the QSOs and spotting,
73, Mario
In reply to G4OIG:
Hi All,
It was a good SOTA weekend, I logged 26 SOTA QSOs as a chaser despite limited time available.
From the activator’s point of view I went to ST-059 on Sunday, a nice hill in the woods where I made my best score ever from a single summit, 46 QSOs in just 20 minutes, including 3 S2S. This corresponds to a rate of 138 QSOs/hour. Not bad for FT817 and a low dipole. It just shows the high activity level this weekend.
I later QSYed to ST-075 for just a short while because XYL was waiting in the car, rain started and contest QRM made it difficult.
Thanks for all the QSOs.
CUL
73 Peter OK1CZ
What a great weekend… I had fun chasing on Saturday and then on Sunday activating. Today was hot … 26C and humid. The Black Flies were trying to suck every last drop of blood out of me.
I had two non-hams with me so I did not stay all that long on the summit, but long enough to make 10 QSO’s on 20m.
Thanks for a fun weekend !
Andrew
K1YMI
In reply to OK1CZ:
46 QSOs in just 20 minutes, including 3 S2S.
Great! I seems like SOTA continues to grow in popularity.
For me to achieve that sort of rate I would need to wire my jaw closed and use a voice keyer, “59 next!”, but that is the advantage of operating CW. ;0)
Steve GW7AAV
In reply to K1YMI:
Hi Andrew - thought you might have mentioned our S2S. First across the pond for me - super. And just made it as my amplifier battery giving up.
No problem with heat and humidity at my end. Temp abt 6C with snow showers and strongish wind all the way from the Artic - hi!
Was using FT817 + Amp (abt 40)and wire 20M GP.
Looking forward to the next one.
73
Jack
PS: did 17 S2S all-in-all. Great day.
Great activity! Despite the bad wx (almost horizontal rain, heavy winds driving clouds upwards along the ridge at incredible speed, rather uncomfortable temperatures and virtually zero visibility lateron on TI-457) I was glad to be able to enjoy one of those rare opportunities to be all alone on otherwise crowded summits. My XYL had offered me her large umbrella the evening before - which I gratefully accepted - not without picturing myself what would happen if I didn’t bring it home again in one piece Unfortunately it wasn’t large enough to protect the rig AND myself, I got soaked to the skin.
Pouring rain on Sunday morning, so I decided to stay at home. BTW: The snow line will drop down to 1000m ASL by the end of this week, so I guess things could have been worse. Many thanks to all chasers and for all S2S QSO.
73 Bernhard DL4CW
In reply to DL4CW:
There were the odd flakes of snow falling during Saturday night/Sunday morning. I was wild camping at about 200m ASL and needed to wear all my clothes and extra socks and two fleeces and a down jacket and get in the sleeping bag to keep warm. First time I’ve ever slept in a hat and gloves too!
There was another 2cms of snow at the Glen Shee Ski Centre about 120miles North of here. There’s possibly enough snow there for skiing to last well into June!
Andy
MM0FMF
In reply to GM4TOE
Hi Barry,
But I loved it (later in the pub with n (an integer greater than one but less than 10) real ales in my belly!
Is a real ale on a different plane from a complex one?
73, Frank
Hi All,
Here is list of all the associations and regions that were spotted and mentioned on the reflector during International SOTA Weekend.
- = associations and regions that were spotted only on Bank Holiday Monday the 3rd of May.
G - WB, CE, SC, SP, SE, LD, SB, NP, TW*
GW - MW, NW, SW
GD - GD
GM - NS, ES, SS, CS
GI - MM
ZS -
EI - IE*
DM - SA, TH, BM, BW, RP, SR, NS, NW*
SV - TL, AT, MC*
OE - TI, OO
DL - AL, EW, KW
HA - EM, KM, KD
HB - TI, VD
W2 - GC, GA
F - AM, PO
OK - PL, US, LI, KA, ZL, JC, ST
ON - ON
SP - BZ
OH -
HB0 -
LA - TM
SM -
S5 - RG, BI, TK, GS, PK, KS
PA - PA
OD -
TK -
Z3 - WM
W1 - CB
W6 - CC
VE2 -
W3 -
VP8 -
LX - LX
OZ -
9H -
YO -
E7 - BO*
VE1 - NS
W0 - FR
UT -
Please note that the list above is of only associations and regions that were spotted and mentioned on the reflector during international SOTA weekend. Please can you let me know either by replying to this thread or by email if you know of any associations and regions that are not on this list and were active during international SOTA weekend.
Jimmy M3EYP
A fine piece of work Jimmy, thank you. There were a total of 415 spots during the “official” (Saturday and Sunday) International SOTA Weekend.
Mind you, I dread to think how many of those were self spots of my own using Andy MM0FMF’s excellent SMSBOT service to announce my band/mode hopping. There were several times when WAP was not available on Gun, but never a time when I couldn’t get an SMS self-spot through.
Tom M1EYP
In reply to M0GIA:
Geoff 2E0BTR and I had a good afternoon out on GW/MW-009 Beacon Hill on 2 May. We had a straightforward drive to the parking spot at SO153765 and an easy walk to the summit. There were a number of walkers about and the shepherds were busy on their motor quads. Skylark song greeted us as we neared the summit. Geoff screwed his new home made spike into the ground and we fastened my SOTABeam against it for his VHF station. He set up his easier to erect [than mine] dipole for me to use . I put out a spot to “Sven” SM5BOT for 3.666. M6WSB, G0RQL, G8ADD and G4ELZ were quickly in the log. I then hit a snag - Peter ON4UP/P had begun his SOTA activation on the same frequency and couldn’t hear 5W me calling. I self-spotted a move to higher in the band and worked 4 more English stations. Visits to Geoff to compare notes netted two S2S contacts on 2m SSB with Martyn MW1MAJ/P on Tarren y Gesail and Matthew 2W0XTL/P on Gwaunceste Hill. I fancied a rare excursion into the maelstrom of 7MHz QRP phone, removed the links in the dipole, self-spotted and began. The cold was beginning to tell on my mental capacity for callsigns in the log and my watch kept vanishing up my coat sleeve. I worked 9 stations from 7 DXCC but lost a Dane [undskyld] and a Belgian. I robustly defended my frequency from Italian Contest Stations who tried to take over [always with my callsign] and they actually went elsewhere! I hope no-one else was offended but they were beyond the pale. My favourite contact of the day was from the Scottish Girl Guides centenary camp station GG100GCC whose operator Shona was a credit to the movement. I wished them happy 100th. I couldn’t understand why everyone was calling me Tom [which is what Sotawatch had named me] and using the callsign 2WE0DAI/P. Andy FMF is looking into this little anomaly in his otherwise tip top software!
By now Geoff was wearing all his spare garments and sheltering behind his umbrella for it was a touch chilly. We packed up and were leaving the summit at 1545 BST. I fell over on a smooth grass slope and sprained my good ankle. Geoff looked suitably alarmed but nothing had snapped. I limped home with his walking poles for help. Thanks to all callers and Geoff for the smooth driving and lively chat. Despite my best efforts to be a cripple I’ve made it to deci-goat “status” and the weekend brought 66 chaser points to get close to Shack Slothdom. Thanks to all stations and chasers involved in ISW.
73
David 2E0DAI and 2W0DAI/P
In reply to 2E0DAI:
I’m glad to know that you are back on the trail, David- minus a few grams of stainless steel.
Stu
Hi All,
I just noticed that there was activation from VE1/NS; I will include that in the list of associations and regions that took part during International SOTA weekend.
Jimmy M3EYP
In reply to OK1CZ:
Hi and thanks for the fantastic day.
I worked only at first day from KM016.
I can maked 90 QSO and 21 different S2S on 7 and 144 MHz!
Thanks for all!
Feri HA7UL
Tom (M3XFG) and I had a cracking weekend. Got to meet Inky on SP-004 on Saturday in the sunshine. Nearly got blown away in the tent on Saturday night ( Respect to those who camped on Summits ). Snow on the summit of SP-001 on Sunday…
Looking forward to next year.
Thanks to all chasers.
James
G7MLO
Finally, at last, and after unprecedented moaning and grumbling about its absence from Sean M0GIA, my website is updated with the stories, logs (loads of 'em - that’s what took me so long hi!) and photos from International SOTA Weekend.
Things to look out for:
- our weekend camp and radio site on a SOTA summit
- a different-than-usual approach to summit gastronomy
- the utter carnage that faced us on the Sunday morning
- the unconventional temporary repair on a SOTA pole
- our sons, who managed to keep smiling throughout (somehow!)
Visit http://tomread.co.uk then navigate via the SOTA menu to Gun SP-013.
Tom M1EYP